


Have Faith (It's Not Over Yet)

by Kamidani



Series: I'll Take My Time, Coming Home To You [3]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Angst, Everyone is on the Protect Sora Squad, Gen, Kairi Deserved Better, Post-Canon, Roxas just wanted to get to know his Somebody, Spoilers - Kingdom Hearts III, Xion and Namine are best friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-02
Updated: 2019-03-02
Packaged: 2019-11-07 22:49:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17969534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kamidani/pseuds/Kamidani
Summary: He was there. He was right there.And then he wasn't.It was supposed to be their happy ending. They were supposed to be able to go home and live out their days in peace. But at the end of it all, there's still one last person to save.





	Have Faith (It's Not Over Yet)

**Author's Note:**

> Is anyone else still shocked that Kingdom Hearts 3 is an actual thing? We've played it, we've beaten it, those of us who are far braver than I will ever be have 100 percented it. And yet I'm still in shock that it's here and real. The ending certainly didn't help. Sora has been my favorite character for a very long time and I'm still not over it in the least. And while I doubt that the ending is exactly what it seems like at first glance, I couldn't help but want to write the direct aftermath of it. So here it is, my first fic in about 6 years and my favourite character isn't even really in it.
> 
> Figures.

Ventus honestly couldn't believe he'd slept through ten years of living on the beach. Sora's home was _beautiful_. Everything seemed warmer and brighter than he was used to, and the sea and the sky stretched out forever. It was unlike anything he'd ever seen, although that could have just been because he'd been asleep for so long. Maybe he was just reveling in the joy of being in his own body. Either way, he had his friends by his side, so he wasn't too worried about it.

And even with the worry of Sora and Kairi's absence hanging over their heads, it was easy to find peace in the afternoon sunshine. The worlds were safe, and the boy who'd ensured it was coming home. Pretty soon they could hang up their Keyblades with the knowledge that everything they'd gone through had been worth it. 

So he laughed freely. He ran and slipped on the warm sand, and he played frisbee with Isa and Lea, who turned out to be much more formidable opponents than he was expecting. And yeah, his aim wasn't the best, and he found himself apologizing profusely for the untimely demise of Donald's sand self portrait, but... it was good. Here, and now. He was happy. 

So when the cry went up, a jubilant sound from Mickey, it was with hope soaring in his heart that he turned to look at the paopu tree. Two silhouettes, both new and yet so familiar, cast long shadows on the ground behind him. They were here! They made it!

Ven couldn't help but let out a joyful whoop himself. Sora was finally  _home._

He wanted to run up there, greet Sora himself, but something stopped him. A growing sense of unease, sprouting on the fringes of his heart where he'd once felt Sora's warm embrace. Not panic, not yet. But close.

They all watched with baited breaths, held fast to the sands by the same nameless force. Watched as the two faced each other with sad smiles. Watched as they held onto each other's hands. Watched as they shared soft words, too soft to be heard by their audience down below. Watched, helpless, as one faded away, without a trace.

Ven felt it, the moment he disappeared. He knew that he should be feeling something, but he could feel nothing at all. Almost like a piece of his heart, the one that Sora had given him so long ago, had died with him. 

There was only one shadow being cast now, as the sun set on the life of a boy who'd given up everything.

He was there. He was _right there_.

And then he wasn't.

One moment there were two silhouettes on the curve of the tree, the next there was only one. It couldn't be real, but it was. He was gone.

There were scattered gasps, disbelieving murmurs. But the first to truly react, was Roxas. A heartrending wail split the air, and the Nobody turned Somebody fell to his knees in anguish. And that was the moment that understanding spread. There was no greater pain than that of someone torn from their Other. And Roxas's Other was no more.

The joy and relief they'd all felt moments before drained away in an instant. The only sound was of the waves crashing on the beach, uncaring of the change in atmosphere. Without a word, Riku tore away, up the path to the little patch of land where Kairi mourned. His voice echoed over them as he pleaded for an answer.

 _Where is he?_ He begged. _Where is Sora?_ Kairi just shook her head, still smiling tremulously.

 _He's gone. He kept his promise to come back, but it took everything he had. He's gone, Riku._ She looked out towards the sunset, her hand closing over where Sora's had been. _At least now he'll finally get to rest._

 _'This can't be happening,'_ was the first thing Ventus remembered thinking. _'Sora promised to be right back!'_ was the second thing. His mind was almost entirely blank. It didn't feel real. It couldn't be real. But beside him, Namine and Xion were holding onto each other, stricken with grief. Lea was kneeling by Roxas, trying to offer comfort even as the first few tears trailed down his face. Aqua had broken down completely, and was sobbing into Terra's shoulder. Terra himself had such a dark, troubled look on his face that Ventus couldn't even begin to decipher what it meant. Isa was staring at the ground, his eyebrows furrowed in a complex mix of sorrow and guilt. Hayner, Pence, and Olette had all collapsed to the sand in a miserable heap, overwhelmed by the sudden loss. He couldn't even bring himself to look at where Donald and Goofy stood by the King. He didn't think he could handle seeing their grief right then.

"It's not true," Ventus whispered to himself, placing one hand over his heart. "It just can't be." His heart beat a little faster under his palm. "It's- it's not- it's not true!" he repeated, his voice growing more frantic. Where a moment before his mind had been blank with shock, a whirlwind of emotion nearly knocked him off his feet. It was a maelstrom of desperate thoughts, each one piling on top of the other until his mind was nothing more than a dull roar of emotions. Everything hurt. The sun was too bright and the waves were too loud and Riku and Kairi were holding onto each other, weeping next to the paopu tree and everything was wrong wrong wrong WRONG he was supposed to come back he was supposed to be HERE! Why wasn't Sora here? Why wasn't he…

The reality set in all at once. Ven dropped to his knees like a stone in the ocean, the sand cushioning his fall. He didn't want it to. He wanted scraped knees, bloody knuckles, some evidence that he was alive and here. Or maybe he didn't want that. Maybe he wanted to fall and come out completely unscathed, to be able to hold up clean palms and see the plastic perfection of a dream. Maybe that was it. Maybe he was dreaming. Sora had gotten back and he'd wake up to see him and Aqua just like before in the Land of Departure, and they'd all play Frisbee with Lea and Isa and it would be _okay_. And Terra would pick him up and chuck him into the ocean while Aqua looked on and laughed. Ven would finally get to know the people he'd shared a heart with. It was supposed to be their second chance.

Why did they get a second chance, and Sora didn't? Out of all of them, he deserved it the most. So why didn't Sora get to have his happy ending? Why?

Ventus looked down at his hands, calloused and bruised from the fight they'd all gotten home from just days ago. He was only here because of him. He had gotten to live the rest of his life. Because of him. The only problem was that he had been planning to spend it with Sora. And Sora wasn't here. The little boy who'd provided the piece he needed to be whole, who had so graciously taken him in, whom he had sworn to protect once he finally woke up, the one he'd referred to in his heart as his little brother; he was gone. They'd _let_ him go.

Ven couldn't let that stand. He wouldn't. Not after everything Sora had sacrificed to save all of them. He clenched his open hand into a fist, reveling in the dull pain of his nails digging into his palm. It was grounding in an odd way. It was enough to get him back on his feet, to give him his voice back. And so he spoke into the silence, his words cutting through the rhythmic crash of the waves.

"We're going to get Sora back," he stated, eyes on the horizon. There was a line out there, where the sea met the sky, and that's where he trained his gaze. "We're going to find him and bring him home, and then I'm never going to let him out of my sight ever again." Xion chuckled weakly to his right.

"Good luck getting him to sit still long enough for that," she joked softly. Tears still streamed down her face, and Namine was no better. But he could see her trying to pull herself back together. To keep from sinking into that dark well of grief. She offered the first grain of hope that everyone else so desperately needed.

"You hear that, Rox?" Lea poked the stricken blond gently. "You and Ven are gonna end up fighting over who gets to babysit Sora." To their surprise, Roxas's head shot up, his eyes blazing with fury.

"No we're not," he snapped. "Because as soon as I find Sora I'm going to kill him myself for pulling a stunt like this." Aqua was the next to break the solemn mood with a watery giggle. She separated herself from Terra just enough to look at all those assembled, who were slowly pulling themselves out of the initial sense of despair.

"Sora does have a lot of apologizing to do, doesn't he? I imagine he's going to have a hard time doing anything on his own once he gets back." And that, really, was the final straw that tipped the balance from hopelessness to determination. Not _if_ they got Sora back. _When_ they got him back. It wasn't the happy ending they'd been looking for, but that just meant they had a little while longer before they could truly put their Keyblades away and rest.

The sound of footsteps on wooden boards startled them out of their new sense of purpose, and they looked up to see Riku guiding Kairi back down the path to the others. They both looked like a mess, with red, puffy eyes and tear-stained cheeks. As they descended onto the beach, a tiny voice spoke up from under Riku's arm.

"This is my fault." Kairi looked up slowly and locked eyes with Ven, the intensity of her gaze making him physically take a step back. "He gave himself up to save me. He knew what the consequences would be. He knew! And he came for me anyways. If- if I had been stronger, if I had fought back more- if I had just been able to tell him not to come after me, maybe he wouldn't have-"

"What do you mean he _knew_?" Mickey's voice cut her off, the sharpest Ven had ever heard it. Kairi swallowed, and her shoulders came up around her neck in shame.

"He said so, right before he… before he-" Though she struggled to get the words out, they refused to do so. She cleared her throat and continued. "He said that he knew that coming after me might cost everything, but that it was worth it. That he'd do it as many times as he had to to keep me safe." She shook her head. "I don't think it was worth it. He deserved to be here with all of you far more than I do. After everything he's done for everyone-"

"That's enough." Riku looked down at her with fondness and sorrow in his eyes. She was the last thing he had left, and she was a constant reminder of what it was he had lost. Even Ven, with his limited knowledge of the two, could see how her presence was a balm. And a knife, twisting into his side with every moment. "Sora made his choice."

"We could have stopped him." Mickey locked eyes with Riku, his gaze sharp and accusing. "We could have found Kairi the right way. This didn't have to happen like this." Riku met his stare head on, not yielding in the least.

"I'm not going to choose which of my friends I'd rather wasn't dead, Mickey," Riku spat. "All we can do is try to get him back. And I'm going to get him back." His expression softened, ever so slightly. "Sora is the strongest person I've ever known, and he didn't even know it himself. But I think he does now. He's too strong to lose himself again. He's out there somewhere, fighting to get back to us. I asked you to believe in him before, Mickey. That hasn't changed. Please, keep believing in him. If he can go through hell to save me and Kairi, he can find his way home, too."

"Gawrsh, I still can't help but feel like we failed him somehow," Goofy said softly. "But I won't stop believing in him either. He still needs us."

"Yeah!" crowed Donald, his voice entirely too loud given the situation. "He's a scrappy kid! Sora'll find his way back in no time!" Ven winced slightly. Sora had only been so "scrappy", as Donald put it, because of a war _they'd_ left unfinished. Guilt settled heavy on his shoulders. He owed a great debt to Sora, and he'd repayed him in broken promises and unhappy endings.

Mickey rubbed the back of his head contritely. "Gosh, fellas, don't you wish Sora were already here, though?"

"Of course we do," Roxas interjected. "But once Sora makes up his mind, there's no use trying to convince him. Even if we stopped him then, he would have gone after Kairi as soon as we were looking the other way. I know you feel guilty, King Mickey, but the only person we should be blaming is Xehanort, for being an asshole and hurting Kairi in the first place." Namine snorted loudly from her position in Xion's arms. She hid her face in her hands, smiling through the tears.

"He'll be back," she stated confidently. "He still owes me a thank you, after all." She directed her gaze up at Kairi and Riku. "Have faith." A fresh wave of tears overwhelmed Kairi, and her shoulders trembled as she sobbed. Riku tucked her against his chest. Despite his brave words it was easy to see he was still very fragile. They all were. Trying to bolster their own courage was like trying to pick up broken eggshells and fit them back the way they were. Even if they succeeded, they'd never be the same.

Ven let his gaze swing over to meet Roxas's, noting the intensity in the shocking blue of his eyes. It was odd. Like looking in a fun house mirror, except it made you angrier. It was also encouraging, to know that all of that anger would be directed towards getting Sora back home.

Ven held his Wayfinder out to the sunset, watching as the viridian hues were swallowed up by molten gold. It had guided him back to his friends when he was lost. Or really, Sora had. Actually, when he thought about it, that was a fitting comparison. Sora, the boy who'd carried him for so long. So many had depended on him. And he'd answered the call of every single one. For once, the scrambled yarn ball of thoughts straightened into a single coherent line, and it was with hope once again firmly planted in his heart that he spoke.

"Sora was our Wayfinder." His voice rang out over silent sands. He hesitated, his courage wavering. But he could see Aqua and Terra smiling encouragingly, and Lea looking to him with something like hope in his eyes, so he pushed on. "Whenever we were lost or broken, he guided us back home, to the people we care about the most. He didn't let anything stop him, not ever. Not when he knew that so many people depended on him. And now… now he's depending on us. We have to be his Wayfinder, to help him find his way back home." Ven pressed the metal and glass star against his chest, bowing his head in what looked like a silent prayer. "He was my second chance, so long ago. Now I'm going to be his." He looked up, eyes shining with hope. And everyone who looked back at him shared that hope. Even the trio of kids from Twilight Town who'd never held a Keyblade a day of their life looked enthused. They'd been silent all along, and Ven could only imagine how it felt to go to a random beach party and then do the equivalent of attending a funeral. They hadn't seen tragedy like he had. But that didn't matter now, because their hearts were just as devoted to the cause as his was.

 _'I won't waste the chance you've given me, Sora,'_ Ventus promised himself. _'I'm bringing you home.'_ And as the pall of sorrow lifted, it was with the knowledge that their story wasn't over. There was still one errant child to find, one last loose end to tie up.

And maybe then, once they'd brought him home, they'd finally be able to rest.

**Author's Note:**

> This isn't the only thing I want to write for KH3. I've got a lot more ideas spinning around in my head, some of them silly, some of them not. Kudos are very much appreciated but comments are appreciated even more! I really do believe that the beauty of Ao3 is that the readers can communicate directly with the author. Share your thoughts, concerns, or raging disappointment if that's what you felt reading this. Or if you'd rather come yell at me on tumblr, you can find me there at kamiddani. You can also find my partner in crime, Quill, at quillowl. (If you want more Sora and Terra interaction, go check out Quill's fic "On the Heels of Reticence"! I am avidly awaiting the next chapter, and I'm taking notes because the writing is phenomenal.)
> 
> Anyways, until next time!


End file.
